Categories
2022 News-EN

CYBER SECURITY IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR: WHY IT’S A PRIORITY

news

CYBER SECURITY IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR: WHY IT'S A PRIORITY

The scenario of cyber attacks is by no means rosy.

Criminal operations are constantly increasing, both in terms of frequency and criticality, with increasingly targeted attacks in order to maximize cybercrime profits.

The Covid-19 pandemic was a further aggravating situation: the criminals have not lost this opportunity to exploit this issue as much as possible, compromising companies, organizations and institutions already put to the strain by the management of the emergency.

Among the numerous targets, the healthcare sector is certainly the one that worries most of all.

As we showed in the Clusit Report 2022 presented a few weeks ago at the Italian Security Summit, since 2018, Healthcare is the fourth most targeted sector by criminals, with an ever-increasing number of attacks (13% of the total cyber attacks in 2021).

A trend, which not only shows no signs of decreasing, but also seems to be getting worse.
So what are the priority interventions for the health sector to try to stem this situation?
  1. Mitigate vulnerabilities
  2. The spread of IT and digital technology also in the Healthcare sector has facilitated activities and contributed to a more agile management of the entire healthcare sector.

    At the same time, however, it has contributed to increasing the risks of encountering several vulnerabilities:
    • incorrect configurations,
    • absence of patches or updates in operating systems and applications
    • installation and / or design defects
    • defects in the management of protocols and communications
    These issues can be exploited as an entry point to breach and compromise information systems, an even greater risk for those who manage data as sensitive as healthcare.

    It is a priority to carry out periodic checks (at least every 6 months) to find the evidence and mitigate it quickly.

    Unlike a normal company, in a healthcare facility Vulnerability Assessment must be performed with the utmost caution to avoid interruptions in activities.

    In addition, it would also be advisable to perform this check more frequently, in order to be sure to promptly handle issues.
  3. Verify the Cyber ​​Security strategy
  4. Solving vulnerabilities is really important but not the only solution.

    It is in fact very important to verify the cybersecurity strategy chosen by the healthcare facility.

    A good strategy must first of all include defensive solutions: these can include hardware products (such as firewalls), software (such as anti-malware products), and timely updating of systems and applications.

    A robust, up-to-date and properly configured backup system is equally a priority: in the event of a ransomware infection, the backup could in fact be the only salvation.

    Finally, it is also necessary to have a good disaster recovery plan, because, although the defensive solutions may be adequate, the chances of suffering a cyber attack are nonetheless.

    It is important, in this case, to be prepared and that the response would be rapid and effective, with priority of intervention previously shared and reviewed frequently.
  5. Cyber Security Awareness Trainings
  6. Some types of cyber attacks are complex to recognize and not easily intercepted by software solutions such as anti-malware products.

    Among these threats are, for example, Phishing, BEC (Business Email Compromise) scams and all types of online scams, which can have very serious consequences and induce victims to carry out harmful actions without their knowledge, such as installing malware or providing information to criminals.

    To try to stem this problem, it is useful to train staff to recognize the main threats and the most recent types of cyber attacks.

    Cyber Security Awareness trainings are useful for this purpose and should be organized for employees, collaborators and company management, at least once a year.
Being aware and prepared for the main cyber threats, and in particular for those specific to your sector, is now an essential priority for everyone.

But it is even more so for the healthcare sector, which is important and which, in addition to its systems, must also be able to protect our health data.

Good job!

Latest news

HACKS OF TODAY 22-23-24-25/03/2024

Today's HOT includes 32 ransomware victims by the notorious Qilin, LockBit 3.0, Medusa, Kill Security, RansomHub, BlackBasta, BianLian, Cactus, Ra World, Cloak, ThreeAM, RansomEXX and INC Ransom...

Read More

HACKS OF TODAY 21/03/2024

Today's HOT includes 9 ransomware victims by the notorious BlackBasta, Medusa, RansomHub, Ra World and Rhysida gangs. The average Cyber Risk Factor is  4.1. Read below the full...

Read More

HACKS OF TODAY 19-20/03/2024

Today's HOT includes 22 ransomware victims by the notorious Hunters International, LockBit 3.0,  DragonForce, Medusa, Trigona, Snatch, 8Base, Rhysida, BlackBasta and BianLian gangs. The average Cyber Risk...

Read More
				
					-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- xsFNBFyONI0BEAC3wJRo5qhtr1KsqVdMz7b5JqHmt7H0ZZr14oJ9TV/hD9LMfrKpnQ94dFGnpfGa BKC1wSoJN4Yfs5lg5YmN4hmHmm6PkjgQdenVgL4YDfLDodwn5DgXKuywRBqIFbbnTDvFAb03DX2A FPnc+4g2QHsfiFycz+ISg/Z+8i21gY3j5oZlrdMKVWrNczrNc/lDJqJ36RSYDn1QzAW1ZGY/pUXk imPRvLew5Idr3462sZVVhuUFMD3Uf/W1SaS3bSEQM89pSYKZfo8AFpAs659Mn7gqKru6ndxilRdF wJGQuepqR8kz+vVPLyxJj68ii2ZBIY50RQvSBgJRnNF/Htp30cuk3v8jfSGZit9XYTTGQThVbfGR ZcKWze/iF+es110+mNXA/8s7jKs95PI+z1Foc9o74Ujs8dvjEGHTaESIEzX3JtEZUCZUiPt/P8pU Jw0ewbj1XCacYxYVsR7ODlf6GEsjt868WcjiqsuuZo2rzO4og9hFU5DlBzuePklfhw8dO5CiMN2H vtSkAn4DkgHqC+JiciHc9h5Cvvfjp52oQPj1eYmU3LkOvGFmPXVIts3VfxsQT3gk+DmrQ4J//fAl tNRSbMBnGu5F/qnLLkJmKRKPKNNcpjptFznKxLZbxW5QbAeDok3ho8YQACfADKcrmaIRkoPr8/mn PxZgMSMB87W7sQARAQABzSRTb2ZpYSBTY296emFyaSA8c29maWFAaGFja21hbmFjLmNvbT7CwZQE EwEIAD4WIQTNwEbcXbH0vegGlHCd6fr0nsTifwUCXI40jQIbIwUJEswDAAULCQgHAgYVCgkICwIE FgIDAQIeAQIXgAAKCRCd6fr0nsTifwKuD/4+3MaN+9eFiltI06fFBjr1Csh0OLFw89jFnpuYl9Sm ImVqmBwrnm+APxxLK4M+FMuNm4fW08X249t09Nsf0ba6UJ0HR/7/fRTipjzRLqHSr0+ZjVUGHhon fuuFZgNzPA5RmQZZCyiwyqZJs7pLn1QI/CtlDP6MsQhadywbkO/5LlDoBoYh/2DYNA/mtEfJbvc/ cOvfk47thj5OzcXJEWFxz7h2P5C2ELwxdhNPC+uqcOQkTScnuIBJooheJPhdmqOtOwrbUUIfaryM IESrol3Jg3/MUOe7FLXhwCSQGY1iefzl4py2jTeK936GMBHifLSUCA88lpE7ALkbf3+qJ9ABra9G e9e0dirIlPvFgBkEBBXsoIReQLrhHKFBtvKdrrE9Rb7kAwon+sW+3Uf6Ie3M8nTisGy2AmlI/tQ5 V0MHU2UJUNcc59hk7ADIlXN64eeqELgsMtlR4wEHd6nwcEpoPCTWfrVSwzsPtXUGNAGbgGxISv/F ltcFJ6Qw6Zy4f+YBEyCx/7GA3kjLllkcHv4kwHpP+WQCzbjh2JdkGEp5AY7puil1AtOFcbirbHbR 83KVeqx4Vvlyh2jhIDQYB/9qpTDC1xDKpndn40gnNd5hvjK0I0Xvbhb0PLhCpJQ5tsvPiQHjhOMF Wye3ZigaX1gTZxE29MLtwBbOYdGCYG0MrM7BTQRcjjSNARAAupAKTZXLRktriUVqhkZpU8zUVwrW ik6siStg7BppSJuKVW+Ic8QIagW0I48d2jZIIXrQRvqVBixn8eeBTE8Cujum1mZyhTw2sri3gE9i 81gisF17T/uewzRyYwx8obMfSEBnwJa44td7VjtbfLMRtfneK9R40+kELhhvXZa3DBbcG86zHVPU f1YkLX4RNSyjz4vOCX3WlcIAOr6MJA8DT+F5mUCVEhnkeUbflXtxRSeTUTfOw/3MYLs+mc6hWwLq gqTMcIQhDrYEY5wUgb5Mj86NR/uvsThL6MtWCJWVbfxHxM575woyTdD9E6HGO6loHYdky/7I+XFZ twgxsGn6HJYT+Gwn9BI5/DiwT1Qb/AyADktN1jGmZGTlniS+hly7rm0EHb2CTTM5zT1fh/sCOtQb nYIUf2in2cIfcFvzeFrUbDk2HfJMp5FmY6tBEV5xyNCww/mBkW2nuZy9CvAheJEOGoO8lyonPU2u ARq345LdbS6l+VdivPmZoLNpIMRw9MSTYmzm08h7C+/6hxzpjw1/nWZ+W2k9VpLutEs7KMtsbZR4 WhVFVS1uhqxrnjoeBHznh360Ou8SR+PFO0HIrYz4W7ayfcBhqcsGrM9u1E892gjUVTbPv8UoXQ8S Zm9ra2jqbfZGbyOpMIlyMzHTak7r0IZvCedEUDCimitbw98AEQEAAcLBfAQYAQgAJhYhBM3ARtxd sfS96AaUcJ3p+vSexOJ/BQJcjjSNAhsMBQkSzAMAAAoJEJ3p+vSexOJ/C+wP/iGvKG1NldCT2gR7 oWhmvgBnsD7qjC57RX0Go7WD1lmrWP4xWpvM6Tj0V4ZsXnyB8zUR38p49PPymjwy51FAss5PYh8S bVC1/sKC5Sae3kiAoMGH29MBAwL1IkJ8PNw6uOJHhUIJgKT5RWk2f7q3+Tha19slXwD/FC1IcBJK baxyVkG3cG5AnNvvKZyFAUNZ9FiBycaNHO4o6bCcCzSsaRLL2azudJLrF8UYPfTNBQ6Cr4QLqaRb t+ZqL2nqmcadO1AtxLtq5lQjxbhJ3jSYIcQJRq0ztbIBcPrdR2B/dfVED9cU5leSmNXxrh09gJ7N tmUpVo5fBcbf6fP7h2HIFBpH+G/8UUlcbm9pQ5Jcb8FEom0JrfaIAuv1gEIJAk1mkqLNzWUs8KuL nCBBVT2+2hfEZjtjUYbCLVB4LRCsLs9CY1wS3yKca90S8m0tfKcSj3K3k8qlKodkE2raX2GW2dm9 b200ENbb41B1uZlPts4Yh/AMfLqoNv8wyw0GlUQ2DqgDqviLANYbg4/GHwTLwO2b9UMHuTVU3woS 1LRKt0iPPsd+ir+9YRAVt5LB5XTS5C5cdIW9JSXQ+0cnbr3LPZCBulOew/M72liBINKWKGoUyueF 73ckNO9S7pzTOCpjn3+gAuzN/itwgwrMLoqUqqBuxzd7cKNJHTFdTIfTm53f =KIMs -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----